The Disappearance Vexation
by Amie357
Summary: Strange disappearances happen across the globe. Penny and Sheldon are amongst them. (A Shenny story)
1. Day 0

Day 0

It was a Thursday at 9pm when it happened. Across the world around five million people disappeared, from what the authorities could tell. It was as though the world just stopped for a moment and then, when it resumed, it did so with slightly fewer humans where they should be.

Leonard, Raj and Howard were at a bar, as is customary recently on Anything Can Happen Thursday. The music was pounding and they were figuring out which woman might be susceptible to their particular brand of charm. Raj went to the bar to get drinks and that was when the world went on pause. When it resumed for the boys, a woman in the corner let out a scream and yelled that her friend had disappeared.

The atmosphere had changed abruptly in the bar, to one of fear and uncertainty. The trio made their way home, a little shaken by the rather strange happenings. Leonard wanted to check up on Penny as he'd left her with Sheldon playing Age of Conan. He had almost stayed to try to get into her favour, but she dismissed him in a rather Sheldon-like way that disturbed him a little.

Leonard opened the door to his apartment. It was empty. A bubble of fear lodged in his stomach. Sheldon's red and black laptop was in his spot, next to Penny's pink one. Their avatars stood on screen waiting for their owners to issue commands.

"Sheldon would never just leave his laptop like that," Raj said in a hoarse whisper.

"I know," Leonard said, a haunted look in his eyes.

"Even if something bad happens, he is totally anally retentive about closing the lid," Howard murmured.

"I know," Leonard repeated. "What the hell has happened?"

Raj turned on the television and switched over to the news station. The three men listened, growing pale as the reporter on screen explained that there had been disappearances across the globe. They gave a number to call if you thought that someone that you knew was missing.

Leonard took his cellphone out of his pocket and dialled with shaking hands. The woman on the line ran through a set of questions about his two missing friends. She told him that someone would be in touch with him within 48 hours and told him that he should notify their families that they were missing. With a sinking feeling, Leonard agreed and ended the call.

It was 10pm by then, but Leonard decided that he needed to contact Penny and Sheldon's families right away. He started with Wyatt, Penny's Dad, who took the news with a few gruff comments. He asked Leonard to keep in touch with him to give any updates.

He called Sheldon's mother afterwards, who sobbed down the phone. He heard Missy in the background, who sounded a little angry and was adamant that she had known something had happened to her brother. He made the same promise to Mary Cooper that he had made to Wyatt to give her updates.

Once the phone calls were done, the three men shut down the two laptops and placed them carefully on the coffee table. They sat on the couch and carried on watching the developments as they came through on the news, mostly in silence. They only broke the silence to call their families and check in. While it was late, their families were grateful to hear from them.

As reports rolled in from across the world and the number of missing people were tallied, the news stations began to speculate about what had happened. None of them could present anything that didn't sound like the plot to a sci-fi movie, but talking and thinking about it prevented the three boys, at least, from getting the rising nausea that accompanied the unknown.

They all fell asleep on the couch together in the small hours of the morning, the news station still shining brightly on the television.


	2. Day 1

Day 1

Leonard awoke with the heart pounding panic that accompanied falling asleep somewhere that wasn't your bed. Within seconds, the night before's events crashed down on him. He was worried about Penny, more so than Sheldon, as it was she who would have to deal with the inevitable conniption fit from the tall scientist. He was worried about Sheldon, of course, but he still had residual feelings for Penny after their failed attempt at dating.

He called work for himself, Sheldon, Raj and Howard, telling them that none of them would be in that day. They told him that Sheldon was not the only member of staff that was missing, so the University was actually closed that day. They expressed their sympathies and left Leonard with his thoughts.

Howard left shortly after, wanting to go check on his mother. He was sure she was panicking. Raj stayed with Leonard, not able to offer any comfort, but wanting to keep an eye on the news. Penny and Sheldon were his friends as well, after all.

After a few hours, there was a flurry of excitement on the television. Two people had reappeared in a small town just outside London, England. The reporters flocked there - a man and a woman had been checked on at the hospital and released. Raj felt a pang of sympathy for the pair, who were clearly frazzled from their experience and struggling with the hordes of reporters in front of them.

They were standing behind a podium, holding hands tightly, in a brightly lit room filled with flashing cameras and microphones. It was a standard press conference arrangement.

"Where were you?" a reporter asked loudly.

"We were in a big white room," the woman answered. Raj saw the man next to her squeeze her hand reassuringly. "It's all a bit of a blur, but when we did what they asked us to do they told us they would let us go."

The room erupted with the noise of shouted questions. An official off screen called for them to ask in an orderly fashion.

"Who is 'they'?" another reporter asked once the room had quietened down.

"We never saw them," the man answered. "They just told us what they wanted us to do over an intercom."

"There wasn't a speaker that I could see, though," the woman interjected softly. "I think we might have heard them in our heads because it didn't make it quieter when I put my hands over my ears."

"What did they ask you to do?" a third reporter asked.

"Nothing we'd care to share," the man replied firmly. "We'd like to go home now, so please leave us in peace to deal with what has happened to us."

Leonard and Raj looked at each other with their mouths open in shock.

"Holy crap, dude," Raj murmured. His eyes were wide and he paled visibly. "I hope they're ok; that sounds absolutely nuts."

"Nothing they'd care to share?" Leonard muttered. "What the heck happened to them? This raises more questions than it answers."

"They came back though," Raj said firmly. "They're ok too."

"They came back because they were the first to do what they were told," Leonard replied. "Can you imagine Sheldon or Penny doing what a mystery person asks them to do? They don't even do what I say when I ask really nicely!"

xxxxx

Poke, poke, poke, "Penny."

Poke, poke, poke, "Penny."

Poke, poke, poke, "Penny."

"What, Sheldon?" Penny mumbled with irritation in her voice. She wasn't happy to be woken up. Ever.

"Penny, there is a crisis in progress and I need you to focus if you are capable," Sheldon said in an even voice.

"A crisis?" she said sleepily, blinking her eyes to clear the cobwebs from her brain as she woke up properly.

"Yes, a crisis," Sheldon sighed. "Thankfully not one that required your immediate attention."

Penny sat up and looked around. She was in an unfamiliar room, which had a footprint about the same size as her bedroom but was about twice the height. It was plain white, with light seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

"Wow, crisis is underselling it, sweetie," Penny murmured.

"Indeed," Sheldon said darkly. "While you were unconscious, I have looked around the room for a way out, but have found no doors or weaknesses. Nobody has been in contact with me."

"No door?" Penny asked, a note of panic slipping into her voice. "How in the hell did they get us in here?"

Sheldon raised an eyebrow at her. "You do not remember coming here," he said. It was more a statement than a question.

"The last thing I remember was kicking some ass on Age of Conan on your couch," she said, fear and irritation mixing together unpleasantly.

"There was a high pitched noise that seemed to knock you out," Sheldon said calmly. "Then we were both enveloped in some kind of light. The sensation was rather unpleasant as I could feel myself in two places, which is not something I would care to repeat, and then we were sitting on the floor in here."

Penny's mouth opened in a surprised 'O' shape.

"If my watch is to be believed, that was four hours ago. It is approximately 1am."

"Sweetie, I have no idea what to even say to that," Penny said softly. "Are you ok?"

"Physically, I am fine," Sheldon replied evenly. "However, I am experiencing some emotional distress."

"You don't seem distressed at all," Penny shrieked, allowing the panic to wash over her. She could feel hot tears begin to pool in her eyes.

Sheldon scooted closer to her and put his arms around her. The very fact that he was willingly touching her told her how distressed he really was. They sat there for a few moments, each lost in thought about where they were.

"Humans," a booming unfamiliar voice said. "You will shortly be directed to another area. You will comply without incident, otherwise there will be unpleasant consequences."

Sheldon and Penny looked at each other in alarm. The wall to their left disappeared, as though it had never been there in the first place.

"Move through the opening," the booming voice said without inflection. "You will follow the corridor to your new holding cell."

"No I won't," Penny shouted towards the ceiling. "Not until you tell me who you are, where we are and what you want from us."

"You have ten seconds to comply," the voice stated dispassionately.

Sheldon looked at Penny with a quizzical frown.

"No deal," Penny muttered, extrapolating herself from Sheldon's grasp and standing up defiantly.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

Penny flinched. Sheldon held his breath. It felt as though the air had been removed from the room. The hairs on Penny's arms stood up and she shivered.

Suddenly, Penny screamed. It felt as though every nerve ending in her body was on fire. She had never felt pain quite like it. As much as she tried to hold the screams in, she felt them rip from her throat involuntarily. Her body spasmed and she felt herself fall unceremoniously to the floor.

In a detached part of her mind, she could hear Sheldon's panic stricken voice trying to bargain with their captors to leave Penny alone. She felt his arms slipping underneath her writhing body, pulling her to him and picking her up.

He carried her out of the room as quickly as his legs could move without stumbling. As soon as they passed over the threshold of the room, the pain diminished. Penny grabbed hold around Sheldon's neck, feeling weak. Where his hands touched her, she could feel them shake.

"Please do not do that again, Penny," Sheldon whispered. "It is my belief that your back would have broken from the strong muscle spasms had it continued for much longer."

"I'm sorry, Sheldon," she whispered back softly. "I just don't respond well to bullies. I like to push the boundaries a little."

Sheldon just gave a small smile in response.

They arrived in their new holding cell. It was similar to the first, but had a clear wall that showed identical holding cells stretching as far as the eye could see. Each of the cells had two people in them.

"Further non compliance will result in more stringent punishments," the booming voice told them in a monotone. "This is your first warning."

Sheldon and Penny looked at each other before plopping themselves down on the floor next to each other, resting their backs against the wall. Sheldon's eyes flew around their cell, cataloguing every nuance, before rising to his feet and doing the same for the cells he could see around them.

Once he had finished, he sat back down next to Penny and heaved a weary sigh.

"Get some sleep, sweetie," Penny told him. "I'll keep watch, then I'll wake you so I can get some sleep."

Sheldon nodded and took off his watch. He handed it to her with a very serious look on his face.

"Three hours will suffice," Sheldon said firmly. "Please look after my watch. It was a gift from my grandfather when I received my first doctorate and I would hate to lose it."

"Put your head on my lap, Sheldon," Penny said softly. "It will be a little more comfortable that way."

Sheldon nodded and laid down. He was asleep within seconds. He must have been truly exhausted.

After an hour or so, Penny had thought through everything she knew about their situation. Which was, frankly, very little. She had thought her way round in circles and was starting to annoy herself, so she allowed her mind to wander.

She wondered whether everyone had been taken and if Leonard, Raj and Howard were here. If it had just been her and Sheldon who had been taken, she wondered whether the rest of the guys knew yet. Her mind wandered to Leonard. She knew he would check up on her as he had quite a large crush on her.

They had tried to date when the guys had returned from the Arctic, but it had ended pretty quickly. She didn't quite know what had changed inside her while they had been on their expedition, but when they came back she was half hearted about Leonard.

When she thought further about it, whilst looking down at Sheldon's peacefully sleeping form, she realised that she had disapproved of the way they had treated him. Perhaps her bad taste in men had finally changed, she thought wryly. She may not have realised it at the time, but she had heard Leonard's talk of 'catching a break' with her when his friend was clearly upset. That had ended it with her before it had begun.

She had always had a strangely strong bond with Sheldon. They were like brother and sister in a lot of ways, but the undercurrent of tension had something distinctly different to it than siblings would experience. Penny decided that train of thought was a dangerous one to follow at this point in time and parked it abruptly.

Three hours passed in no time, really, and she woke Sheldon up gently. He pulled himself up to a sitting position, cleared his throat, asked for an update and then gave Penny his lap as a pillow.

Penny fell asleep quickly, murmuring that three hours would be enough for her too before sleep took hold.


	3. Day 1 contd

Six more people arrived home across the globe by lunchtime on Friday. Raj and Leonard left the television only to use the bathroom and to get food and drinks. One of them kept a vigil in front of the television at all times, shouting to the other if there was an update.

Leonard was making sandwiches in the kitchen, when Raj shouted for him to come over. The smaller man dropped the knife that he was holding on to the counter top and hurried to the television to see another couple, this time from Sydney, Australia.

"What can you tell us about where you have been?" the reporter on the television asked the couple loudly.

"Not a lot," the man said tiredly. "There were voices that told us what to do. We did it, they told us we could go."

"What did they ask you to do?" another reporter asked.

"Nothing we'd care to share," the woman replied firmly.

"That's exactly what the first ones said," Raj whispered. "Dude, something's not right."

Leonard nodded. They listened to the reporters try to extract more information from the distressed pair. Every time they came close to revealing something, they would both get a strange look on their faces before saying that it was nothing that they would care to share.

xxxx

Sheldon woke Penny, shaking her twice and murmuring her name.

Penny sat up and gave him a strange look. He smiled at her and asked if she slept well. She frowned and answered that she was sure that she had.

Sheldon told her that some food and water had arrived. He rose to retrieve it and brought it over to her. They both gratefully drank the water. Sheldon picked up the small loaf of bread that came with it and tore it in two, handing it to Penny.

Something niggled at Penny, but she couldn't place it. She decided to ignore it for now as she had survival matters to attend to.

After they had both used the toilet facilities that had appeared in the corner of their cell, they sat down on the floor again.

"So, anything new this morning?" Penny asked, with more brightness than she was feeling.

"No," Sheldon replied. "I have observed the other people in the cells across from us sleeping, eating and drinking. We appear to be prisoners, but we are being looked after so I doubt that there is any ill intent towards us."

Penny frowned again. She still couldn't place her unease. She sighed deeply and gave a yawn.

Sheldon scooted closer to her, which she found strange. He looked deeply into her eyes and his eyes flickered to her lips. Her heart pounded in her chest. He moved his head closer and closer to hers, his bright blue eyes locked on to hers.

"Sheldon," she breathed. "What are you doing?"

Sheldon smiled and leaned in even closer. Their noses were touching; their lips were so close that they grazed each other with every word.

"What I should have done a long time ago," he murmured into her mouth.

Sheldon's lips captured hers, gently at first, but then with a mounting urgency. Penny kissed him back, her mind reeling and her heart seemingly trying to flutter out of her mouth. His hands grasped at her, pulling her close to him.

Abruptly, Penny ripped her lips away from his. She looked at him, pure fury burning in her eyes.

"I don't know who the hell you are," she ground out between her teeth, "but you're not Sheldon Cooper."

Sheldon got to his feet smoothly. It was certainly not the way the Sheldon she knew moved. She could feel her anger rising in her chest.

"Well deduced, human," Sheldon said in a voice that didn't belong to him, giving a cruel smile that didn't belong on his face. "You are in a very small percentage of those who we are experimenting on who have identified our ruse."

Penny could feel hot tears of fury building. She swallowed thickly, not wanting to show how much this affected her.

"Get out, now," she said in a low and dangerous voice. "I can't look at you wearing Sheldon's body. It's disgusting."

With a curt nod, Sheldon disappeared and Penny burst into tears.

xxx

Sheldon awoke with a start. Penny's head was on his lap and he had fallen asleep while he was supposed to be on watch. He shook Penny awake and explained that he had fallen asleep.

"That's ok, sweetie," Penny said brightly with a smile. She pulled herself up to a seated position and leaned against Sheldon's arm.

Sheldon got to his feet and scouted around the room. He noticed that bathroom facilities had been added to the room and used them. He then retrieved the food and water from the other corner and shared it with Penny.

He noticed Penny watching him move around the space. She was licking her lips slightly. He noticed her breathing increase in frequency and her eyes were dilated, which were signs of sexual arousal. It did not seem appropriate to their situation, so he ignored it.

After several minutes, Penny rose to her feet slowly. She stalked towards him, not taking her eyes off him. It was predatory and Sheldon was sure that, had it been Leonard in his place, he would have surrendered to her advances.

Sheldon stepped backwards, giving a squeak of surprise as his back hit the wall. Penny continued to advance slowly and smoothly. She smiled at him, licking her lip and biting it gently.

She paused just in front of him, running her hands gently across his chest. After a beat, she launched herself at his mouth, capturing his lips roughly with hers. She kissed him passionately, climbing up his tall frame to get better access to his mouth. When she grabbed his shoulders to move his arms around her, he pushed her away gently.

"You are not Penny," he said softly. "I do not know who or what you are, but I know that you are not the Penny that I know."

"Well deduced, human," Penny said in a voice that didn't belong to her, giving a cruel smile that didn't belong on her face. "You are in a very small percentage of those who we are experimenting on who have identified our ruse."

Sheldon gave her a curt nod and walked to the other side of the room and sat on the floor. He observed the non-Penny for a few moments before it dematerialised in front of eyes.

A minute or so later, Penny reappeared. She was shouting at someone or something and arrived mid-sentence.

"-or so help me, I'll find you and chop off your..."

She blinked a few times.

"Penny?" Sheldon asked. He saw understanding flash in her eyes and suspected that she had experienced something similar to him.

Penny darted across the room and leaned in close to his ear. "It's me, Moon Pie," she whispered. "I found that nickname out in letters from MeeMaw."

Sheldon nodded, relief blossoming in his chest.

"You sneak into my bedroom when I have done something to annoy you," Sheldon whispered into her ear. "You touch my things and think I do not notice."

Penny giggled. She ignored the shiver that went down her spine as his breath tickled her neck.

"How did you know it was not me?" Sheldon asked.

"Hmm, a few things," Penny said with a wry smile. "Firstly, you woke me up with two pokes. Three is the optimum number, right?"

Sheldon gave a small chuckle. "Indeed."

"Then when you kissed me, I knew it couldn't be you," Penny said, blushing and looking at the floor. "How'd you know I wasn't me?"

Sheldon filed away her reaction for later analysis.

"You climbed me like a jungle gym," he said softly. "I knew you wouldn't do that."

Both were silent for a few moments. They both sat back down on the floor next to each other in what was rapidly becoming their 'spot'.

"I climbed you like a jungle gym, huh?" Penny asked softly.

"Indeed," Sheldon said with a nod. "First you backed me into a corner, then you leaped on my person and kissed me."

"And I'd never do that?" Penny said, a tinge of something Sheldon couldn't identify in her voice.

"Not in that manner, no," Sheldon said quietly.

Penny nodded in understanding. The undercurrent of tension was back. She didn't say that she knew it wasn't him because every time he touches her it feels like pure electricity and the impostor felt like anyone else. She didn't say that she knew it wasn't him because the look in his eyes that she dreamed about and didn't tell anyone about was absent.

Sheldon knew there was some sort of sexual tension between them. He wasn't as dense as he led everyone to believe. He knew that he had felt a little piece of him wither and die when she had agreed to go out with Leonard after they returned from the Arctic. He knew that it came back to life when their relationship ended.

He didn't tell Penny that he knew that it wasn't her because the spark that electrified his soul when he looked into her eyes wasn't there. He didn't tell Penny that he wished, for a split second, that the impostor was her and that she really wanted him like that. He didn't tell Penny that he knew that she wouldn't violate his personal space in such a way because she knew how he felt about that. He didn't tell her that he wouldn't mind if she did.

xxx

By 9pm on Friday, nearly one hundred people had returned across the globe. In every press conference, they all said the same thing, which was more befuddling the more times they heard it.

Leonard had written all kinds of things on the big whiteboard as they had happened on the news. He was trying to figure out what was going on and thought that anything that he could do to help might get Penny back to him sooner.

Howard returned and the three of them were brainstorming. Raj was scouring the internet, while Howard attempted to access various government sites for more information.

Nothing was forthcoming, but the boys kept looking until they all fell asleep on the couch again.


	4. The End of Day 1

"We have been here for twenty four hours," Sheldon announced.

"Time flies when you're having fun, huh?" Penny retorted.

"Sarcasm?" Sheldon enquired.

"Indeedy!" Penny replied. "I know we're in danger and yadda yadda, but jeez I'm bored."

Sheldon gave a breathy laugh. "I must say that my mind is wandering, in search of some stimulation."

"Yeah I can usually rely on you for that, huh?" Penny said with a grin. She scooted closer to Sheldon and sat opposite him. He gave her a quizzical eyebrow, but continued on.

"I am not one for idle speculation or for resorting to psychology," he said, his blue eyes sparkling. "I'm somewhat outside of my comfort zone, topic-wise."

"How are you coping, sweetie?" Penny asked, raising her hand to squeeze his hand reassuringly but reconsidering at the last moment. "I mean, this whole situation is so far outside your comfort zone that I'm kinda surprised you haven't lost it."

Sheldon made an irritated noise and dropped his eyes to his hands.

"I'm not the delicate creature that everyone thinks," he said softly, a hint of Texas twang infusing his words. "I am perfectly capable of coping with situations outside the norm. I am a grown man, Penny."

Penny felt a guilty pang in her stomach. "Sweetie, that's not what I meant at all."

She reconsidered squeezing his hand and left her hand on his surprisingly warm fingers. After a beat or two, Sheldon looked her in the eyes.

"What did you mean, Penny?" Sheldon asked, his blue eyes burning into hers with an intensity that would have melted a whiteboard.

"I was just worried about you, I guess," she said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't cope. It's just that you get agitated when we don't stick to your schedule."

"I thank you for your concern, Penny," Sheldon said evenly, still holding Penny's gaze. "I do prefer to stick to my schedule, but it is by no means a compulsion. Just a preference."

Penny nodded. "I love your schedules, you know," she murmured.

"Sarcasm?"

"Nope," she said with a tiny smile. "It's so nice knowing that I can always find you if I need you."

Sheldon blinked a few times in surprise. He looked at her quizzically, trying to figure out whether there was some underlying meanness. When he realised that there wasn't, Penny saw his face soften and his eyes crinkle around the edges.

"It's nice to have someone that I can depend on in my life," Penny said with a slight wobble to her voice. "I know you, like, barely tolerate having me around, but I really value you as a friend. I sorta invaded your life and I know we argue but you make me want to be something more than I am, you know?"

Penny could feel her heart beating in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to look at Sheldon and couldn't quite work out why she felt compelled to blurt out some of the feelings she'd kept hidden over the years. She felt warmth spread across her cheeks and she bit her lip nervously. She wished Sheldon would say something, anything, to break the silence.

"Do you really believe that I barely tolerate you, Penny?" Sheldon said finally, his voice a ragged whisper.

Penny swallowed over the boulder sized lump in her throat. She nodded, studying her hands as they fidgeted in her lap.

Sheldon's mouth was open in shock. He looked at the sad little girl sitting in front of him, who was a direct contrast to the force of nature that Penny normally was. He shuffled in closer to her. She stared fixedly into her lap and wouldn't meet his eyes. Sheldon frowned and gently reached over to her face. He put his finger and thumb almost tenderly on her chin and moved her face up so that it was level with his. Her eyes still avoided his.

"Penny, you are my best friend," Sheldon told her seriously, eyes blazing fiercely. "I choose you to be as such. When have you ever known me to do something that I did not want to?"

Penny's eyes snapped to his, searching for something. Sheldon did not know what Penny was looking for, so he carried on.

"I suppose I should have told you at the time, but it is not something that I usually would feel comfortable discussing," Sheldon said quickly in a soft voice, fighting his own awkwardness. "However, I felt that my life changed the instant I found that Leonard, Howard and Raj changed the outcome of my monopole experiment."

Penny gave an encouraging, sympathetic small smile.

"They were not sorry," Sheldon continued, battling with himself to maintain her eye contact as he confessed. "The only person that truly cared that day was you. It was then that I knew you were my best friend and would be so for as long as you were willing to perform that role."

"I didn't blow it by going out with Leonard?" Penny asked, worrying her lip with her teeth.

"While I did not approve of your choice," Sheldon told her with a smile, "I did approve of your decision to end the relationship."

Penny gave a light, tinkling laugh that erased some of her sadness.

"I heard him that day, you know," she said quietly. "He kept talking about 'catching a break' with me. Like he hadn't just destroyed you. Like I was a piece of meat."

Sheldon fidgeted. He wanted to run away. He knew that if she carried on with this line of thought he'd tell her something that he kept buried deep down in his mind.

"What aren't you telling me, Sheldon?"

"Penny," Sheldon began hesitantly. "There are some things that should not be shared. Things that you should not know."

"Sheldon, please tell me," Penny pleaded, her eyes wide. "You can trust me."

"May I ask you a question first?"

"Of course, sweetie."

The room was silently airless. All they could hear was the rustle of their clothes and their own hushed words, punctuated with their breathing. Even if there was anything else in the room, Penny thought that they wouldn't notice it. The world would have just fallen away to leave the two of them there together, speaking the words that they had both been too afraid to say.

"If you knew what Leonard had said about you," Sheldon began slowly, "then why did you still persevere?"

Penny gave a sad smile and nodded ruefully. "Because I thought I heard wrong. Because I thought Leonard was the 'nice guy'. Because he was still better than every other guy I have ever been together with, even if he did treat me like his prize."

"I thought Leonard was a nice guy too," Sheldon murmured. She could see the tears in his eyes.

"I also..." Penny trailed off, gulping over the lump in her throat that had suddenly reappeared.

Sheldon could feel his heart clattering against his rib cage.

"You also?" he prompted.

"I... I didn't want to risk losing you guys," she whispered. "Well, you."

The last word hung in the air between them. If he was a 'normal' guy, Sheldon knew he would have kissed her. The impostor had kissed him and he knew that it wasn't Penny. He had never kissed Penny, but he knew that when it happened it would be a defining moment. He wasn't sure that he was ready for such a moment.

Penny could sense him battling with himself. She knew he wasn't the type of man to throw caution to the wind and go with his gut feeling. She loved that about him. He was so considered and the total opposite of her impulsive nature. She could rely on him to talk sense to her in her moments of pure insanity. They just complimented each other on so many levels.

"Don't think I've forgotten that you haven't told me what you were going to tell me before," Penny said impishly.

"Please do not think any less of me for what I am about to tell you," Sheldon said seriously.

"Unless you secretly kick puppies, I think we're good," Penny grinned.

"I am not the most socially gifted man," he told her with a bashful smile. "However, even I could tell before we went to the Arctic that you were falling for Leonard's charm. For some reason, the image of every kiss on the cheek that you had ever given him burned through me while we were away." The words were tumbling out of him now. He took a deep breath and crashed on.

"I suspect now that I was jealous," he blurted. "I could not stop thinking about you and Leonard getting together when we came home and I just obsessed. Naturally, I couldn't tell anyone else that, so I became more difficult than usual. I am sure that is what led to my friends betraying me. I take some responsibility for that, which is why I have not excommunicated them."

Sheldon felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He had held that in for so long that to finally let it out was cathartic.

Penny didn't know what to say. For Sheldon, that was practically a full blown confession of love.

"Thank you for telling me that, Sheldon," Penny whispered raggedly. "I wish you had told me before you left for the Arctic."

Sheldon just blushed in reply.

"I have always had a crush on you, you know," Penny said coyly, a tiny smile hovering around the edge of her lips.

Sheldon gaped. "I most certainly did not know," he breathed.

"Well now you do," Penny smiled. "And to give you something to think about that isn't me kissing Leonard..."

Penny leaned forwards. She kissed his left cheek, then his right, then his forehead, then the tip of his nose. Sheldon could feel the spark of electricity that existed between the two of them dancing across his skin in the wake of her kisses.

She slid round so that she was next to him and pulled his arm around her shoulders.

"That was an oddly intense conversation, considering the circumstances," Penny said finally, wanting to clear the tension in the air.

"Indeed," Sheldon said raggedly, still recovering from the kisses that she had bestowed upon him.

"Perhaps we should try to get some sleep," Penny said, yawning. "I think we'll need all the rest we can get."

Sheldon gave her a squeeze of agreement and within moments, the pair were sound asleep.


	5. Day 2

Day Two

Leonard woke up with a start. The television was still flickering in the background. Raj and Howard had ended up snuggled together on the far end of the couch and they didn't stir. Leonard ran his hand over his face and put his glasses back on.

The news was rolling on with the count of people who had reappeared mounting up in the ticker tape across the bottom of the screen. It had just broken the thousand mark and, though quite a way off five million, it seemed to be going up rather quickly.

The report on screen cut to a brightly lit room with the FBI crest on the back wall. A woman in her forties with short, well styled hair and a crisply cut suit walked on screen. She addressed the camera, not wavering as she made her speech.

"The disappearances of two days ago are obviously at the forefront of all of your minds. Many people know at least one person who has been taken and we want to reassure you that the authorities across the world are doing everything that they can to get your loved ones back to you.

"Many of you have commented that the answers that those who have returned are giving are strange. While I must say to you that these people have undergone a trauma, we are exploring every avenue. We have the leading psychologists analysing their responses and counselling them to find out as much as we possibly can.

"We recognise that this is not the answer that you would all like to hear, but we feel that now is the time to develop a culture of honesty. We need you to help those who have returned by supporting them. Should anything be revealed to you by them that you feel the authorities should be aware of, there is a dedicated number to call."

Leonard gaped at the well dressed woman on the television. The FBI had gotten involved and were trying to get everyone in the world to rally together to gather information. Leonard knew that this was a serious situation from that alone.

He woke up Raj and Howard and they hit the internet again with renewed purpose. Once Leonard filled them in on the press conference that he had just seen, he asked them to put together a database of all the people that had been reported as missing.

It took Howard a scarily short time to put that together. With Raj's help, they got more personal information about the US citizens than Leonard felt was strictly legal. However, they were all filled with a purpose. By the time they had analysed the data, they had a working hypothesis about those who were taken.

"Do you think I should call the authorities?" Leonard asked, suddenly nervous.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure," Howard said with a frown. "What I did to get the information wasn't entirely above board, but now that we've put it together and looked at it, I don't know if I'd feel right not acting on it."

"What do you think, Raj?" Leonard questioned. "We're all in this together."

"Dude, we're in this thing balls deep," Raj replied, a note of panic in his voice. "If it helps to find Sheldon and Penny, we can deal with the consequences, right?"

Leonard nodded and took a deep breath. He grabbed his phone before he could change his mind. The line was answered within one ring.

"I think we have worked out a pattern for who was taken," Leonard said nervously.

"Who is we, sir?" the voice asked calmly.

Leonard gave their three names and a brief description of who they were, their jobs and, with his cheeks flaming bright red, a quick summary of what they had done to get the information. He explained who was missing from their social circle and how much they wanted to help.

The calm voice seemed utterly unperturbed by what Leonard described.

"And what is the pattern that you found?"

"In half of the cases, they are key contributors to their fields. For example, an award winning actress was taken; a heavily published biologist was taken; various Nobel laureates were taken."

"And the other half?"

Leonard gulped. This was the part that probably bothered him the most.

"They seem to be the person who was in closest proximity to them," he said hesitantly. "My theory is that they would be used to coerce the first person into doing whatever is asked of them."

There was a series of clicks on the line. The calm voice went so faint that Leonard couldn't make out the words. He put his phone on loudspeaker and stood between the two other men.

"Be on the roof in ten minutes," the calm voice said finally. "We will be collecting you by helicopter."

The line went dead and the three men stood and looked at each other, stunned into silence.

XxxxX

"Doctor Cooper," the voice boomed, waking Sheldon up with a start. Penny gripped him firmly, her eyes still closed.

"Yes?" Sheldon asked the air with irritation.

"You and your companion are required to move to an alternative room. You have one minute to awaken and comply."

Sheldon heaved a sigh and stood up, pulling a very tired Penny with him. She opened her eyes and stretched.

"Are you well, Penny?" Sheldon whispered.

"As well as can be expected, I suppose," she murmured sleepily. "You?"

"Much the same," he replied softly. "Do you trust me, Penny?"

Penny felt suddenly awake. She knew that Sheldon was planning something in that big old brain of his. She knew that she needed to have all cylinders firing to help wherever she could and wished for some coffee.

"You know I do, Sheldon," she told him with a smile.

He couldn't help but notice the sparkle in her eyes. Sheldon knew that she would do whatever she could to help his plan come to fruition. He just hoped that he was right. He usually was, but this time he didn't have all the data or variables that he would like to. However, the situation dictated that he must act.

"Leave your cell," the booming voice commanded.

Penny and Sheldon walked to the now disappeared wall and, as they crossed the threshold, Sheldon held his breath and grabbed Penny's hand. With more athleticism than Penny thought that Sheldon possessed, he leaped up in the air. His fingers caught on an invisible ledge and the pair hauled themselves upwards.

They both exchanged a brief look of delight, mixed with surprise and a hint of panic. Penny pulled Sheldon's hand and they ran together towards a speck of light in the distance. They were surrounded by a blackness that could easily be confused with nothingness, but felt solid under foot.

"You are an absolute genius, Sheldon Cooper," Penny panted as they ran together.

"Obviously," Sheldon retorted with a grin that he couldn't quite suppress.

"Modest too," Penny laughed breathlessly. "How the heck did you figure that out?"

"The first time we were forced to pass through one of the doorways, I saw the door wall retracting into a point on the wall," he explained, breathing heavily. "Using my eidetic memory, I aimed for that spot when we left this time."

"Lucky guess," Penny grinned.

"Luck and superior intellect," Sheldon retorted.

They arrived at the speck, which turned out to be another bright white room. They looked at each other, having a silent conversation about whether to go inside.

"We have two escapees," a quiet version of the booming voice said in the room below them.

Sheldon and Penny looked at each other, wide eyed. It was like stepping behind the curtain and seeing the wizard. They shuffled closer to get a look at the being behind the voice.

"Oh, holy crap," Penny whispered.


	6. Day 2 contd

_"Oh, holy crap," Penny whispered._

Sheldon's eyes widened. The source of the booming voice was not human. He gulped over a lump in his throat as his vast mind assimilated the scene in front of him. He couldn't help but give a sideways glance to Penny to ground himself in reality for a short moment.

In the white room in front of them sat a version of Penny. It was identical to the one who stood next to Sheldon, aside from one thing. The Penny in the room had a panel lifted up on the side of her head to reveal electronics. Into that plugged a cable that led into a panel on the floor of the room.

"Freaky, right," Penny whispered, eyes wide and panic etched into her features.

"Indeed," Sheldon whispered softly.

Without fully knowing what compelled him to do it, Sheldon reached over and gripped Penny's hand firmly in his. He felt instantly reassured at the contact though, so he didn't question it too far. Had her hand been metallic or cold, he couldn't help but think that he would have screamed and run at top speed.

Penny squeezed his hand, seemingly understanding the reason that he had made such an uncharacteristic move without discourse. Penny was so much better at non verbal cues than Sheldon that he wasn't particularly surprised, but he did find it gave him even further reassurance for reasons that he still didn't quite understand.

To say Penny was surprised that Sheldon took her hand was an understatement. He was usually lousy at knowing what another person needed emotionally, so picking up on her feeling that she needed to be physically grounded was quite something. Once the initial shock wore off, she realised that he probably needed it as much as she did. Spending two days away from his routines had actually done him good in an odd way. The fact that he couldn't get more germ-infested than he was seemed to bring the 'normal' back into him.

Once the distraction of the warm presence woven around her hand had worn off, Penny looked at her double again. It didn't move entirely like her, but it was close. That must have been what was sent in to try to kiss Sheldon. That meant that the Sheldon who kissed her was probably a robot version.

Or more of a robot than the flesh and blood version, she sniggered to herself in her head.

She looked over at Sheldon, whose eyes flickered between real Penny and robot Penny. She knew he had reached the same conclusion as her, but his eyes still blazed intensely so she surmised that he was probably factoring in other things that were way beyond Penny.

Their heads whirled around to look at the room in unison when they heard a bubbling sound. The robot's skin was undulating as it morphed into someone who wasn't Penny. It was fascinating in a disgusting way. Finally, Penny's features had disappeared and were replaced by those of a slightly stern looking older woman.

The robot stretched her neck from side to side, looking as though she was realigning herself. She shook her head more violently and the pair heard a click. Suddenly, her hair turned a dark shade of brown. She tapped a few commands on an invisible keyboard and her casual 'Penny' outfit was replaced with a sharply tailored grey suit.

Seconds later, she disappeared.

"Holy crap," Penny breathed.

"You already said that," Sheldon murmured distractedly. "Though I cannot help but agree with the expletive statement."

"If they can turn into anyone," Penny whispered raggedly, "how do we know they haven't replaced us?"

"We do not know," Sheldon said simply. "All that we do know is that they did not do a good enough job of emulating us to fool us. That would lend me to believe that we have not yet been replaced."

"Not entirely reassuring," Penny said, chewing her lip nervously. "So what do we do now?"

"They are currently looking for us as we have escaped our cell," Sheldon told her, his eyes a little far-away as he worked out a plan. "If we investigate this room and the monitors that show the layout of this facility, we may gain a tactical advantage."

Penny nodded in agreement. Sheldon squeezed her hand before he let it go and her heart fluttered wildly in her chest. She had some serious considering to do when she got out of here, she realised.

XxxxX

Leonard, Howard and Raj had been collected from the roof of Leonard's apartment building as promised. They had been taken on a short helicopter ride, which left Howard and Leonard a little green around the gills.

When they disembarked, they were led through a fire escape on top of a large, nondescript concrete building by the helicopter pilot. He put them in the elevator, turned a key to enable the button for a restricted floor and then darted back out towards his helicopter.

The elevator ride took quite some time and the three scientists stood in nervous silence. They all noticed that there were no floor numbers on the panel, which only served to increase their nerves.

When the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened, they were greeted by a stern looking woman with dark hair pulled into a severe bun. She wore a grey suit which looked, at least to Raj's more educated eyes, as though it was a designer label, tailored sharply to fit her.

"Gentlemen," she greeted with a curt nod. "Thank you for coming."

"Where are we exactly?" Leonard asked.

"That's classified," she replied smoothly. "What I can tell you is that it's a top secret research facility. Due to your insight, we decided that the three of you should come here and assist us in our efforts."

The three boys preened at her words of praise.

"What will we be doing?" Howard asked.

"Follow me and all will become clear," the woman said in a reassuring voice.

They walked down the corridors of the most generic, colourless office. There were twists and turns that took them through more identical office space until finally they arrived at an office with a closed door. The woman opened the door and ushered the boys in, slamming the door and locking it after them.

The three boys looked at each other with eyes wide with fear. The lights flickered and one of the walls went see through, revealing a room that spanned as far as they could see. In the room, there was white square after white square, each holding two people.

"I have a bad feeling about this, dudes," Raj whispered.

Leonard and Howard nodded mutely.

"You have been provided with data on three computers," a voice boomed from everywhere and nowhere. "You will analyse the data as per the instructions on screen. Reports will be expected in 8 hours starting now."

"What if we don't?" Leonard shouted back with rather more boldness than he was feeling. "What if we want to know more before we do anything?"

"Then you will no longer be useful to us," the booming voice replied simply.

"So we can go home?" Howard asked hopefully.

"When you have outlasted your usefulness you will be terminated," the voice boomed dispassionately.

The three boys paled visibly. As one, they went to the computers and began familiarising themselves with the acres of data that they had been given before beginning to follow the instructions that glowed on their screens.


End file.
